Spotlight On: Ancient Egypt Rediscovered

Join curators Margaret Maitland and Dan Potter as they discuss the Ancient Egypt Rediscovered gallery and the research that went into creating it. Due to open in Spring 2019, the gallery presents the remarkable culture and achievements of the ancient Egyptians.

Female coffin: an exceptionally tall coffin with decoration in the rishi-style. The lid has feathered patterning painted in blue with black details on a yellow ground. The owner’s face is framed by a striped linen nemes-cloth, a beaded collar with falcon terminals, and a vulture-pectoral.

Gold Shebyu collar: consisting of four rows of gold rings threaded on a pad of fibre.

Figurine of a hedghog in a marching pose, made of blue faience with the quills indicated by brown flecks: Ancient Egyptian, Middle Kingdom.

A.1914.1079 Pendant of gold depicting an “upside-down catfish”, with an unknown core (possibly copper alloy) and a ring for suspension in its mouth: Ancient Egyptian, excavated by Petrie in Tomb 72 in Harageh Cemetery A, Late Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1862-1750 BC .

Coffin of the estate overseer Khnumhotep, son of Nebtu, made of wood painted white with three horizontal yellow mummy bands and the face gilded: Ancient Egyptian, from Deir Rifeh, Middle Kingdom, second half of the 12th Dynasty, c.1940-1760 BC.

One of sixteen pottery mould-made shabtis contained in a rectangular shabti box made of wood: Ancient Egyptian, Late Period.

Painted wooden statuette of a ba-bird, with the body in the form of a falcon and the head in human form: Ancient Egyptian, probably from Akhmim, Late Period.

Wreath of twelve gold-foil leaves attached to a ring of copper, found on the mummy of Montsuef: Ancient Egyptian, excavated by A.H. Rhind in the tomb of Montsuef at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, Thebes, Early Roman Period, c9 BC.

Gold finger-ring, incised on the top with the name of Queen Nefernefruaten-Nefertiti: Ancient Egyptian, Middle Egypt, Amarna, probably the Royal Tomb, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c.1353-1336 BC.